Soccer Blog

Has the era of DF10 ended for FC Dallas?

11 August 2012 - FC Dallas midfielder David Ferreira (#10) celebrates his second half goal during the MLS game between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas. FC Dallas won 3-2.

On Friday afternoon, Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) tweeted that FC Dallas would be declining the option on central attacking midfielder David Ferreira for next season.

Ferreira, the 2010 MLS MVP, of course missed most of the 2011 and half of the 2012 season due to an ankle injury and was clearly a shell of his former self after returning.

Add in the fact that he was FCD’s captain last season and his veteran leadership was lacking at best and the case against the former cog of the Dallas attack becomes quite strong. Ferreira served the club well from his arrival in 2009 on loan from FCD’s former South American partner Clube Atletico Paranaense of Brazil and his MVP season in 2010 when Dallas advanced to MLS Cup for the only time in club history is definitely the stuff of legend.

However, his 2011 was basically a wash and while he showed flashes of returning to his former self in 2012, it was clear being off the pitch for a year-plus had made him rusty. And like FCD in 2013, he started off the season well, but as the club’s fortunes dipped between the lines, his form seemed to dip accordingly.

Then there’s the whole issue of his captaincy. In the second half of the season, Ferreira was one of the oft-mentioned guilty parties who were doing nothing more than meandering in the middle of the field, think of “El Torito” being on walkabout except that these aimless treks just happened to come in the middle of games.

Another strike against him was the lack of veteran leadership he gave FCD this season. A captain doesn’t always have to be a hard ass like Daniel Hernandez was, but there were several reports about how little mentoring Ferreira was doing with the team’s younger players, which is also another pretty serious strike against him.

But the final nail in the coffin might have come in FCD’s home finale against Seattle when Ferreira and Jackson got into it heading to the locker room at halftime. Neither player was made available to the media the following week, something which may or may not be any fault of Ferreira’s as that decision could have come from club higher-ups.

However, the point of the matter is that as captain, Ferreira should have stepped up and volunteered to talk about the incident the week before the season finale in San Jose because that’s what captains do and that’s what a true leader does. Instead, total radio silence from No. 10 before the trip to the Bay Area and that silence truly spoke volumes.

Some say that if FCD does indeed officially decline Ferreira’s option that he could return to the club albeit at a lower salary but that is simply not a viable option. That’s because Ferreira was a big culprit in the malaise that enveloped the team last year as the club basically collapsed after a strong start that came largely due to smoke and mirrors as well as several breaks going FCD’s way.

And while it remains to be seen who Dallas will hire to replace the departed Schellas Hyndman as head coach, it’s highly doubtful that individual would want Ferreira even in the mix for 2014 and that’s a good thing.

That’s because as far as captains go, Ferreira has to rank in the bottom part of the list in FCD history, right there with Duilio Davino, who was an absolute disaster as a player and captain in 2007 in the only full season under Steve Morrow.

Ferreira did give the club two solid years, one of those, his 2010 campaign, was truly great. But after the injury, he wasn’t the same player and considering he was the most fouled player in MLS during much of his time in FCD it isn’t surprising that he basically broke down in 2013.

So, thanks for the memories, David. The FCD supporters do appreciate all you did while you were here but it’s time to turn the page and move on as a new era of FC Dallas soccer is set to begin whenever a new coach is named.

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This blog is a partnership with SportsDay and 3rd Degree, a local soccer blog that has been covering soccer for the D-FW area since 1997. Coverage provided by Steve Hunt, Peter Welpton and Buzz Carrick

Every weekend the show covers the sport of soccer with a Dallas area P1's perspective. From the global game to youth fields that litter the DFW area, Andy & Peter simply talk about soccer and all that implies. You can follow the show on Twitter at @TheKickAround, or send them an email at kickaroundradio@gmail.com